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War

Military History

A weapon is a tool employed to gain a tactical advantage over an adversary, usually by injury, defeat, or destruction. War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Military history is a Humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity Prehistoric warfare is War conducted in the era before Writing, and before the establishments of large social entities like States Historical warfare sets Ancient warfare is War as conducted from the beginnings of recorded History to the end of the ancient period Medieval Warfare is the warfare of the Middle Ages. In Europe technological cultural and social developments had forced a dramatic transformation in the character Early Modern warfare is associated with the start of the widespread use of Gunpowder and the development of suitable weapons to use the explosive Industrial warfare is a period in the History of warfare ranging roughly from the start of the Industrial Revolution to the beginning of the Information Age Modern warfare, although present in every Historical period of Military history, is generally used to refer to the concepts, methods and Battlespace is a unified strategy to integrate and combine Armed forces for the Military theatre of operations, including air, information Air power redirects here for electrical and mechanical energy supplied by air movement see Wind power Information warfare is the use and management of information in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent Land warfare, sometimes also called ground combat is the term used to describe military operations eventuating in Combat that take place predominantly on the land surface of Naval warfare is Combat in and on Seas Oceans or any other major bodies of water such as large Lakes and wide Rivers History Space warfare is combat that takes place in Outer space, ie outside the Atmosphere. Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of Armoured fighting vehicles in Modern warfare. Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine Biological warfare (BW — known as a germ warfare, biological weapons and bioweaponry — is the use of any Pathogen ( Bacterium The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of Chemical substances to kill injure or incapacitate an enemy. Electronic warfare ( EW) is the use of the Electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. The US Department of Defense defines psychological warfare ( PSYWAR) as" The planned use of Propaganda and other Psychological actions Military tactics ( Greek: Taktikē, the art of organizing an army are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating This article is about the military strategy For the Israeli-Egyptian conflict see War of Attrition, for the game theoretical model see War of attrition (game Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc Maneuver warfare, also spelled manoeuvre warfare, is the term used by military theorists for a concept of Warfare that advocates attempting to Total war is a conflict of unlimited scope in which a Belligerent engages in a total mobilization of all available resources at his disposal Trench warfare is a form of warfare where both combatants have fortified positions and fighting lines are static Military strategy is a National defence policy implemented by Military organisations to pursue desired strategic goals Derived from the Greek Economic warfare is the term for economic policies followed as a part of Military operations during Wartime The purpose of economic warfare is to capture Grand strategy is military Strategy at the level of movement and use of an entire Nation state or Empire 's resources A military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a State as a need to offer Military capability required by the National defence policy A military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a State as a need to offer Military capability required by the National defence policy Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in Armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines A military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a State as a need to offer Military capability required by the National defence policy Military Logistics is the art and science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces This article lists military technology items devices and methods Materiel (from the French "matériel" for equipment or hardware related to the word Material) is a term used in English to refer to the Military supply chain management is a cross-functional approach to procuring, producing and delivering products and services The broad This is an index to articles listing Battles. List of battles (alphabetical gives a global list See also Military History Antiquity Albania Agron ( 250 BC - 230 BC) The first king to unite the Illyrian This is a list of missions operations and projects Missions in support of other missions are not listed independently A Siege is a prolonged Military Assault and Blockade on a City or Fortress with the intent of conquering by force or Attrition See also List of military writers. Friedrich von Bernhardi Ivan Bloch John Boyd, inventor of the OODA Loop This is a listing of lists of Wars, sorted by country date region and type of conflict This article lists and summarizes War crimes committed since the Hague Convention of 1907. There is a bewildering array of Weapons far more than would be useful in list form This is a list of military writers, alphabetical by last name A broader definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other [1][2]. There are a huge variety of weapons, which all have different means of coercion. Weapons may be used to attack and defend, and consequently also to threaten or protect. Defence Coercion (co-er-shion is the practice of compelling a person or manipulating them to behave in an involuntary way (whether through action or inaction by use of threats Metaphorically, anything used to damage (even psychologically) can be referred to as a weapon. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and A weapon can be as simple as a club or as complex as an intercontinental ballistic missile. A club (also known as cudgel, baton, truncheon, night stick, and bludgeon) is among the simplest of all weapons

Contents

History

The bayonet is used as both knife and spear.
The bayonet is used as both knife and spear. A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a Knife - Dagger - or spike-shaped Weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle A knife is a handheld sharp-edged instrument consisting of handle attached to a Blade used for cutting This is an article about a particle accelerator For uses of spear, see Spear or Spear (disambiguation.


A weapon is an object that is used to increase the destructive range and/or power of the wielder. Weapons are used in the hunting of animals, as well as in conflicts between humans. From the earliest traces of mankind up to modern civilization, weapons have been a facet of human development. In modern times, weapons development has accelerated along with technological development in general. In ancient times, from the dawn of humanity, through the Classical civilizations of Greece and Rome, and until the widespread introduction of gunpowder weaponry in the Renaissance, weapons were primarily extensions of an individual's strength, essentially making up for the human body's lack of natural weapons such as claws. In the context of the art architecture and culture of Ancient Greece, the classical period corresponds to most of the 5th and 4th centuries The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere These weapons allowed the bearer to be substantially more deadly and lethal than a similar human without such a weapon. Although many weapons made in ancient times were steel, wooden ones were also very common.

The earliest weapons used by man for hunting purposes are the Schöninger Speere, eight wooden spears discovered between 1995 and 1998 in a surface mine in Schöningen, Germany. Schöningen is a city of 13000 inhabitants (2005 in the district of Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. According to various sources, they are about 400,000 years old, making them part of human life in the Lower Paleolithic era. The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age.

The Medieval period, including the Western Middle Ages, was characterized by two iconic weapons: knights, heavily-armored horsemen, and castles, fortified dwellings which proliferated throughout Europe and the near est. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. While knights harked back to earlier historical cavalry such as the Roman and Persian cataphracts, castles triggered quite revolutionary advances, including increasingly sophisticated siegecraft. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on A cataphract was a form of Heavy cavalry used by nomadic eastern Iranian tribes and dynasties and later Ancient Greeks and Romans.

The Renaissance marked the beginning of the implementation of combustion powered devices in warfare. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere The most long-lasting effect of this was the introduction of guns and rockets to the battlefield, which are still at the core of modern weaponry. A gun is a particular Weapon that propels Projectiles The projectile is generally fired through a hollow tube known as the gun's barrel. A rocket or rocket vehicle is a Missile, Aircraft or other Vehicle which obtains Thrust by the reaction of the However, many other machines of war were experimented with.

From the American Revolution through the beginning of the 20th century, human-powered weapons were finally excluded from the battlefield for the most part. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Sometimes referred to as the "Age of Rifles", this period was characterized by the development of firearms for infantry and cannons for support, as well as the beginnings of mechanized weapons such as the machine gun. For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation.

Ancient Chinese cannon displayed in the Tower of London.
Ancient Chinese cannon displayed in the Tower of London. | NOTE Throughout this article "cannon" is used as BOTH the || singular and plural Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London

World War I marked the entry of fully industrialized warfare, and weapons were developed quickly to meet wartime needs. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Many new technologies were developed, particularly in the development of military aircraft and vehicles. World War II however, perhaps marked the most frantic period of weapons development in the history of humanity. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Massive numbers of new designs and concepts were fielded, and all existing technologies were improved between 1939 and 1945. Ultimately, the most powerful of all invented weapons was the Hydrogen bomb. The Teller–Ulam design is a Nuclear weapon design which is used in Megaton -range Thermonuclear weapons and is more colloquially referred to as "the

After World War II, with the onset of the Cold War, the constant technological development of new weapons was institutionalized, as participants engaged in a constant race to develop weapons and counter-weapons. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the This constant state of weapons development continues into the modern era, and remains a constant draw on the resources of most nations.


Firearms

The Maxim gun and its successor the Vickers (shown here) remained in British military service for 79 consecutive years.
The Maxim gun and its successor the Vickers (shown here) remained in British military service for 79 consecutive years. The Maxim gun was the first self-powered Machine gun, invented by the American-born Briton Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884 The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled.

Firearms are qualitatively different from earlier weapons because they store energy in a combustible propellant such as gunpowder, rather than in a weight or spring. A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion A propellant is a material that is used to move ("propel" an object Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes This energy is released quite rapidly, and can be restored without much effort by the user, so that even early firearms such as the arquebus were much more powerful than human-powered weapons. The Arquebus (sometimes spelled harquebus, harkbus or hackbut; from Dutch haakbus, meaning "hook gun" is In Physics, power (symbol P) is the rate at which work is performed or energy is transmitted or the amount of energy required or expended for They became increasingly important and effective during the 16th century to 19th century, with progressive improvements in ignition mechanisms followed by revolutionary changes in ammunition handling and propellant. The lock of a firearm is the system used to ignite the Propellant. Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which During the U.S. Civil War various technologies including the machine gun and ironclad warship emerged that would be recognizable and useful military weapons today, particularly in lower-technology conflicts. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. An ironclad was a steam-propelled Warship of the later 19th century protected by Iron or Steel armor plates In the 19th century warship propulsion changed from sail power to fossil fuel-powered steam engines. A warship is a Ship that is built and primarily intended for Combat. A sail is any type of surface intended to generate Thrust by being placed in a Wind &mdashin essence a vertically-oriented Wing. Fossil fuels or mineral fuels are fossil source Fuels that is Hydrocarbons found within the top layer of the Earth’s crust. A steam engine is a Heat engine that performs Mechanical work using Steam as its Working fluid.

The age of edged weapons ended abruptly just before World War I with rifled artillery, such as howitzers which are able to destroy any masonry fortress. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine A howitzer is a type of Artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles This single invention caused a revolution in military affairs and doctrines that continues to this day. See Technology during World War I for a detailed discussion. Technology during World War I reflected a trend toward Industrialism and the application of Mass production methods to weapons and to the technology

An important feature of industrial age warfare was technological escalation - an innovation could, and would, be rapidly matched by copying it, and often with yet another innovation to counter it. is a process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a Pre-industrial society into an industrial one Technological escalation describes the fact that whenever two parties are in competition each side tends to employ continuing technological improvements to defeat the other The technological escalation during World War I was profound, producing armed aircraft and tanks. Technology during World War I reflected a trend toward Industrialism and the application of Mass production methods to weapons and to the technology A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical

This continued in the period between the end of that war and the next, with continuous improvements of all weapons by all major powers. Technological escalation during World War II was more profound than any other period in human history Many modern military weapons, particularly ground-based ones, are relatively minor improvements on those of World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including See military technology during World War II for a detailed discussion. Technology during World War II played a crucial role in determining the outcome of the war

India's Agni-II, a ballistic missile. (Photo: Antônio Milena/ABr)
India's Agni-II, a ballistic missile. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country See also Agni missile system --> The Agni missile ( Sanskrit: अग्नि (Photo: Antônio Milena/ABr)

Nuclear weapons

The most notable development in weaponry since World War II has been the combination and further development of two weapons first used in it—nuclear weapons and the ballistic missile, leading to its ultimate configuration: the ICBM. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. A ballistic missile is a Missile that follows a Sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering a warhead to a predetermined target The mutual possession of these by the United States and the Soviet Union ensured that either nation could inflict terrible damage on the other; so terrible, in fact, that neither nation was willing to instigate direct, all-out war with the other (a phenomenon known as Mutually Assured Destruction). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Mutual assured destruction ( MAD; sometimes written as mutually assured destruction) is a Doctrine of military Strategy in which a full-scale The indiscriminate nature of the destruction has made nuclear-tipped missiles essentially useless for the smaller wars fought since. However computer-guided weaponry of all kinds, from precision-guided munitions (or "smart bombs") to computer-aimed tank rounds, has greatly increased weaponry's accuracy.

Information warfare

In modern warfare, since all redoubts are traps, maneuver and coordination of forces are decisive, overshadowing particular weapons. The goal of every modern commander is therefore to "operate within the observation-decision-action cycle of the enemy. The term enemy combatant has historically referred to members of the armed forces of the state with which another state is at war " In this way, the modern commander can bring overwhelming force to bear on isolated groups of the enemy, and "tactically" overwhelm an enemy.

Traditional military maneuvers tried to achieve this coordination with "fronts" made of lines of military assets. These were formerly the only way to prevent harm to friendly forces. Close-order marching and drill (a traditional military skill) was an early method to get relative superiority of coordination. Derivative methods (such as "leapfrogging units to advance a line") survived into combined arms warfare to coordinate aircraft, artillery, armor and infantry.

Computers are changing this. Attacks are thoroughly navigated with great precision.

Thus in modern warfare, satellite navigation systems, digital radios and computers give decisive advantages to ordinary military personnel armed with weapons that are otherwise unremarkable. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS is the standard generic term for satellite navigation systems that provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage Digital radio describes Radio technologies which carry Information as a Digital signal, by means of a Digital modulation method A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions.

Weapon types

There are essentially three facets to classifying weapon types: who uses it, how it works, and what it targets.

Who uses it essentially determines how it can be employed:

How it works refers to the construction of the weapon and how it operates:

What it targets refers to what type of target the weapon is designed to attack:

Weapons by era


See also

References

  1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary. Information warfare is the use and management of information in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people The US Department of Defense defines psychological warfare ( PSYWAR) as" The planned use of Propaganda and other Psychological actions Toy weapons are Toys that mimic real Weapons but are designed to be fun for children to play with and less dangerous Fictional technology is proposed or described in many different contexts for many different reasons Exploratory engineering seeks to identify if a prospective Technological escalation describes the fact that whenever two parties are in competition each side tends to employ continuing technological improvements to defeat the other A gun is a particular Weapon that propels Projectiles The projectile is generally fired through a hollow tube known as the gun's barrel. Network-centric warfare (NCW, now commonly called network-centric operations (NCO, is a new Military doctrine or theory of war pioneered by the United States The Global Information Grid (GIG is an all-encompassing communications project of the United States Department of Defense. The Picatinny Arsenal (ˈpɪkətɪni or /ˌpɪkəˈtɪni/ is an American military research and manufacturing facility located on a lot in northern New Jersey. The United States Army Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC headquartered at the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, is the US Army's Second Edition 1989
  2. ^ Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary[1]

External links

Anti-ship weapons Infantry support weapons Fortification weapons Vehicle weapons Naval weapons

Dictionary

weapon

-noun

  1. an instrument of attack or defense in combat, e.g. a gun, missile, or sword
  2. an instrument or other means of harming or exerting control over another
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